Quamba
'Overview' A common prey animal of warmer climates, this social vegetarian is also frequently poached for its unique striped pelt and strong yet light horns. Quambas use many mechanisms to evade their predators. They are very fast and are quick to change direction. Their stripes make it difficult for predators to distinguish individuals in a herd; moreover, herd members also will leap around in a frenzy to further confuse hunters. 'Appearance' The quamba is a particularly unique-looking creature of the Drey. They have white fur with black stripes that resemble that of an Earthen zebra. They have relatively small, lithe frames and stand on average about 4 feet with males being slightly larger. They have large, round eyes that are specialized for seeing predators and possess large ears to hear threats approaching from a great distance. Another noticeable feature are the large, slightly curved horns the males use to fight for females. Their horns can grow up to 2 feet long and are incredibly dangerous weapons. They have a short snout and a relatively lengthy neck, made to eat the short grasses they favor. Quambas have a short tail, consisting of a long bristle of hairs that they use to swat pesky insects from their backsides, that allows them to turn quickly at high speeds. Like their distant deer cousins, they are three-toed. 'Variations' There are three main types of quamba that exist on Dreyrull: Plains Quamba are the most common variant seen on the Drey. They mainly inhabit the savannahs and plains of Sundast and Hasseran. They live in large herds of around 25 to 75 individuals, but have been known to host up to several hundred individuals. They are also known to have wandered into deserts, but generally only survive if the herd stays around an oasis. They are relatively average-looking by quamba definition, but the occasional albino is slightly more likely to survive in the plains, but can still stick out against the black and white. Forest Quamba, however, are the most widespread subspecies, found in both the forests and rainforests of Sundast, Hasseran, and Jiskadar. They, instead of being white, have brown pelt to blend better with the trees, but still retain their black stripes. Despite this, white individuals have been known to appear, but don't tend to survive long. Forest Quamba also live in significantly smaller herds due to the dense vegetation. They generally consist of maybe 10 to 20 individuals, usually one to three males and their harems. Also, they tend to be slightly smaller in stature than their plains cousins and their horns do not grow as tall. Marsh Quamba are not much different than their forest counterparts, except that they have longer legs to wade through swampy water. They also have webbed toes that make them relatively proficient swimmers. Although they would not be able to out swim most water-based predators, it makes a good escape from those who fear getting wet. 'Temperament' Quambas are a social prey species, living in medium to large size herds on the plains and small family groups elsewhere. They are generally docile, content to graze unless disturbed. While grazing, they frequently have at least a few on guard for predators since they tend to be rather paranoid about sudden attacks. For this reason, the youngest, oldest, and weakest members are kept to the center of the herd and allowed to graze without watching for predators while the stronger adults keep their eyes open and ears pricked. They are also a very playfully and free-spirited species, especially fawns and yearlings. They are sometimes seen playing games similar to tag or hide-and-seek. 'Reproduction' Males often times spend time together in small bachelor groups outside of mating season. In these groups, they will spar on occasion in order to size one another up before they begin fighting for females. When mating season arrives, males will begin to gather up females to form their harems. The initial females collected were usually bred with in previous years and have remained loyal to the male. The fighting does not truly begin until the younger females have been determined to have reached sexual maturity. When two or more males discover a female is up for grabs, they fight by butting heads and clashing horns together. If malnourished, it is possible for a quamba to break his horns in one of these fights. When a victor arises, he will take the female back to his harem and keeps an eye out in case any males attempt to kidnap her. Once she is impregnated, she tends to remain loyal to her mate and remain in his harem. When it is time, the female quamba will move a short distance away from the herd to birth her fawn and keep it tucked away for up to a week before moving it to the edges of the herd to slowly meet members over the course of a month. She will raise the fawn for a year and then breed again the following mating season. Yearlings generally form nursery groups within the herd that they stay in until they can form or become part of a harem. 'Diet' Quambas prefer to feast on short grasses close to the ground. They are not picky eaters and will also eat tall grasses along with scrub bushes if they can't get much else. They sometimes eat saplings and berries when available. They even will munch fallen leaves if they are truly starving. Long story short, they pretty much eat most plant matter they can find. 'Habitat' Being quite versatile, the quamba can live in virtually every environment except the frozen tundras. They generally avoid harsh climates like deserts, but have been occasionally seen outside of their usual range. During dry seasons on the plains, they tend to migrate around feeding grounds to wherever the food is best and most readily available. In forests and marshes, where plant life is always available, quambas tend to have a smaller range, but do still move around after they nibble an area down to short stems to let it regrow. 'Lore & Culture' According to aershaa lore, it was said that the quamba didn't have its stripes originally, but had angered Khan by playing too much and not spending more time working or worshipping him. It's believed that their stripes are his claw marks after he punished them. Among furrs, it is said that when Mother Draiah was killed, the quambas felt so hopeless that cracks formed all over their bodies. However, before they could shatter completely, Draiah's spirit put them back together and their stripes are scars of their ordeal. Quambas are highly prized for their horns and pelts. To have a coat or rug made from quamba pelts is considered a sign of high status despite their commonness throughout the Drey. Their horns are often made into weapons and tools or have been seen used as horns for riding into battle. Content: Kaityk55 at 00:49, May 20, 2013 (UTC) Formatting / Minor Edits: Candle at 21:53, Jun 15, 2013 (UTC) Category:Animals